The‘70swas a marvelous decade for thehorrorgenre. Films likeThe Exorcist, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Carrie,andHalloween,not only invented numerous tropes that continue to be relied on by modern filmmakers but also aged really well. And even though film directors contributed the most to the era’s scary tales, TV creators weren’t dozing on the job either. Most of the small-screen projects that aired in the ‘70s had great plots and villains. Most importantly, they were very scary. Today, many of these older shows have been forgotten — because streaming services keep launching hundreds of new productions in recent years to meet the ever-growing appetite — but they are still worth checking out.
10Night Gallery (1970 – 1973)
Most creators ofthe greatest TV shows of all timehave found it hard to strike gold twice, yet Rod Sterling managed to do so. After creating the highly popularThe Twilight Zone, he went on to makeNight Gallery. And he did that by sticking to a working formula. The shows have similar anthology formats, only that the latter focuses on the supernatural while the latter is all about weird sci-fi adventures.
In the post-Alfred Hitchcock Presentsera, many anthology creators also found it fitting to present their own shows and Sterling did the same, introducing audiences to some of the most frightening characters ever seen on television. There is a total of 93 tales spread across three seasons, so the entertainment value is extremely high.
9Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974 – 1975)
Kolchak: The Night Stalkerneeds to be revived, mostly because there is nothing else like it in modern-day television. The series — which served as an inspiration forThe X-Files— follows wire service reporter Carl Kolchak as he investigates scary sci-fi and supernatural cases. Kolchak’s job is shown to be completely undesirable as his superiors constantly doubt him and the villains' activities prove too complex to summarize in his reports.
To the writers of the series, serial killers and ghosts are boring, so viewers get to see all kinds of weird villains such as a politician who made a deal with the devil, enabling him to turn into a murderous dog (so that he can kill his opponents), and an alien that feeds on victims’ bone marrow. And in classic horror fashion, there are plenty of dark alleys and shadows guaranteed to freak out everyone who tunes in.
8Supernatural (1977)
When the wordSupernaturalis mentioned to horror fans, the newer series featuring the demon hunters, Sam and Dean, is what immediately comes to mind. However, there is an older series of the same name that aired in the ‘70s, and it has a rather creative formative. In each episode of the show, a person seeking to join the “Club of the Damned” is tasked with telling a scary story about their own villainous activities. If their story isn’t interesting enough, the person gets killed.
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Interestingly, there is no bloodshed or violence in the series. Instead, fear is what is used to drive the plot forward. There is always a mysterious figure lurking in the shadows, causing the would-be victims to freak out and remain on high alert. In some cases, it’s hinted that violence took place, but this is never shown on the screen.
7Salem’s Lot (1979)
There’saSalem’s Lotremakeon the way and fans can only hope that it will be as good as the original Stephen King adaptation. Like the book, the CBS miniseries tells the story of an author who returns to his hometown and discovers that the townsfolk are mysteriously turning into vampires.
As has been the case with many other Stephen King adaptations,Salem’s Lotwas originally planned as a movie but producer Richard Kobritz figured the lengthy story would be better suited for television. LikeThe Mist,this particular project also benefits from the creative liberties taken by the writing team. For example, the vampire Kurt’s appearance is changed from human-like to monster-like, making him scarier.
There are a few notablelost movies where no known print existsand TV showslikeDead of Nightfall into this category. Only three of the seven episodes of the anthology series can be found today, but they are worth looking for and investing time into. Whether the rest of the episodes were accidentally erased or intentionally junked is an issue that remains as mysterious as some of the characters in the show.
The pilot, titled ‘The Exorcism,” is the best episode as it involves a couple who invite their friends to their new cottage for a housewarming dinner only for strange events to occur. There are numerous jump scares as well as straight-up chilling conversations, hence even the most hardcore horror fans are likely to be left satisfied by the time the credits roll.
5The Evil Touch (1973)
Australia isn’t exactly known for its horror supply, but there are a few underrated shows from the region. One of those isThe Evil Touch, which is packed with some of the most bizarre murder tales. The series is presented by the Oscar-winning British actor Anthony Quayle, giving foreign viewers every incentive to watch it. His epilogues and prologues are done in a dark, smoke-filled room, pumping up the eerie feeling.
Each episode has a different story, though the cast is recycled, with several actors playing different characters throughout the series. Fans with less time on their hands will also appreciate the fact that the episodes are sitcom-like in length. Solutions to the existing problems are presented quickly, making the show easy to binge on.
4Circle of Fear (1972 – 1973)
Circle of Fear(originally known asGhost Story) is also presented by an actor. This time it’s the British star, Sebastian Cabot, and he explains the proceedings quite eloquently, making the anthology series a lot easier to understand. Before each story begins, the owner of the fictional Mansfield House shows up to introduce the new guest. The camera then focuses on this particular individual before they come to the hotel.
There are dozens of unforgettable in the show’s single season, notably one where a transplant specialist donates his organs to three patients before he dies, only for the beneficiaries to subconsciously hunt down his widow. It’s then revealed that the widow was the person responsible for his death. In between the shocking reveals are numerous one-lines meant to lessen the tension.
3Beasts (1976)
Beastssubverts most horror monster tropes by focusing on psychological horror rather than actual creatures. Several characters find themselves obsessing or dreaming about the monsters, and as a consequence, they end up making irrational or scary choices that affect everyone around them. In addition to that, most of the episodes are set in a single location hence the events never seem too scattered.
The most iconic episode of the show is titled “The Dummy” and it follows a horror movie actor who suffers a mental breakdown while on set. Consequently, he begins terrorizing everyone in the same way an actual monster would, forcing leaving his colleagues making frantic episodes to try and stop him. The costume designs aren’t good, judging by today’s standards, but they are easy to ignore, given how intriguing the stories are.
2Quinn Martin’s Tales of the Unexpected (1977)
Quinn Martin’s Tales of the Unexpectedis often confused with the more popular British anthology series of the same name that is mainly an adaptation Ronald Dahl’s novels. The Quinn Martin show has been wrongfully accused of copying the title, yet it actually came first and lasted a single season. Besides that, it differentiates itself by focusing on macabre stories of a psychological or occult nature.
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Since the horror genre is widely beloved, many horror TV shows have multiple seasons.
Though many episodes have familiar twists (such as a character waking up to discover everything was a dream) they have great production values, mainly because they were directed by some of the era’s best filmmakers. The likes of Curtis Harrington and Harry Faulk all take over at some point, resulting in a show that is pleasing to look at and easy to digest.
1Cliffhangers (1979)
Cliffhangersis the kind of show that rarely exists today. It has a hybrid format, with each episode being divided into three 20-minute segments that cover a different recurring story. The most fascinating of the three segments is “The Curse of Dracula” which follows a young woman hunting down Count Dracula in order to make him pay for killing her mother.
True to the show’s title, each of the segments ends with a massive cliffhanger, leaving fans yearning for the continuation. Most importantly,Cliffhangershas arguably the best portrayal of Dracula in film and television. Michael Nouri (best known for his role as Bob Schwartz inYellowstone), effortlessly brings out all of the character’s best qualities while looking the part.
